In White, she is the Gym Leader of Opelucid City's Gym. This Gym is the eighth to be challenged by the player. Trainers who defeat Iris will receive the Legend Badge, along with TM82 (Dragon Tail). She also reappears at N's Castle where she and the other Unova Gym Leaders hold off the Seven Sages. In the summer, she visits Cynthia at Undella Town, as do the other female Gym Leaders and Elite Four members.

In Black 2 and White 2, Iris first appears in Castelia City, helping the player look for Team Plasma. She later makes another appearance in Opelucid City, but leaves shortly after meeting the player. Iris's primary role in these games is finally revealed to be that of the new Champion, replacing Alder. After training extensively under Drayden, she battled and defeated Alder after he retired as Champion, gaining the title for herself. As a gift for her victory, Drayden gave her new clothes to replace the ones he had given her after bringing her to Unova.

"That single Dragon Pokémon, along with twin heroes, brought a new region into being. And people and Pokémon had happy lives!"

"In its pursuit of truth, the white Dragon-type Pokémon sought to usher in a new and better world... Its name was Reshiram. And the other, the black Dragon-type Pokémon, sought ideals and to usher in a new world--a world of hope. Its name was Zekrom."

"But, but... The two heroes' sons started the battle again! And an instant later, Reshiram and Zekrom destroyed Unova with fire and lightning! Then, they disappeared! But, but... If people work with Pokémon in the right way, we don't have to worry anymore about the world being destroyed. I mean, Reshiram and Zekrom worked hard for everyone and made a new region! So, it should be all right, I think."

"Yeah! So I'm never gonna forgive Team Plasma for trying to separate Pokémon and us!"

"Everyone, people and Pokémon can get along and be happy. That's awesome!"B

"Hi! I'm Iris, the amazing strong Gym Leader! Tell me... What Pokémon are you using? How will you fight? Ooh, I'm super curious, so let's just get started!"

During battle

"The pain of my Pokémon... I feel it, too!"

After sending out last Pokémon

"No! Not yet! No! We can fight on!!"

Being defeated

"Aghhhh... I did my best, but we lost..."

After being defeated

"Whoooa! That was so cool! I'm sooo happy I could battle a Trainer as strong as you!"

"Hey, that's your eighth Badge, right? That's so cool! Now every Pokémon will do what you ask, no matter how big they are! Know what? I'll give you this TM, too!"

"Dragon Tail doesn't just do damage. It sends the other Pokémon back to its Poké Ball, too! Ooh, hey! I wonder how Mister Alder is doing? I wonder if he's battling that Trainer called N in the Pokémon League right now? Do you know about the Pokémon League? It's past Victory Road, at the end of Route 10!"

Post-game

"You've been on a journey and seen a lot of the world. I'm like that, too! I'm from way out in the country. I'm really happy that I've gotten to meet lots of different people and Pokémon!!"

"! Your friend... He seemed pretty mad. Did everything go OK in the sewers? So what are you going to do now? You ran into Gym Leader Burgh in the sewers, didn't you? Maybe you should go to the Pokémon Gym and see how far you've come! I'm sure battling will help your Pokémon come to understand you better as a Trainer, too!"

"Yahoo! I haven't seen you since I ran into you in Castelia City! Are you here to battle Grandpa? Yep! Opelucid City's Gym Leader, Drayden, is my grandpa. We're not really related, though! Oh! The Gym is that way! Before challenging it, you might want to go to Route 9! Still, your Pokémon really respect you! I feel how much fun your Pokémon are having, even from inside their Poké Balls! Good luck!"

"Know what? I really look forward to having serious battles with strong Trainers! I mean, come on! The Trainers who make it here are Trainers who desire victory with every fiber of their being! And they are battling alongside Pokémon that have been through countless difficult battles! If I battle with people like that, not only will I get stronger, my Pokémon will, too! And we'll get to know each other even better! OK! Brace yourself! I'm Iris, the Pokémon League Champion, and I'm going to defeat you!"

"The Trainers who come here are Trainers who desire victory with every fiber of their being! And they are battling alongside Pokémon that have been through countless difficult battles! If I battle with people like that, not only will I get stronger, my Pokémon will, too! And we'll get to know each other even better! OK! Brace yourself! I'm Iris, the Pokémon League Champion, and I'm going to defeat you!"

During battle (the first non-KO HP loss)

"The pain of my Pokémon... I feel it, too!"

Upon sending out last Pokémon

"I'll hone my mind and become one with Pokémon!"

Last Pokémon at critical health

"No! Not yet! No! We can fight on!!"

Being defeated

"Phew... I gave everything I had, but still... I just couldn't win... Thanks, though! We will keep aiming higher!"

After being defeated

"Aghhhh... I did my best, but we lost..."

"I'm upset I couldn't win! But you know what? More than that, I'm happy! I mean, come on. By having a serious battle, you and your Pokémon, and me and my Pokémon, we all got to know one another better than before! Yep, we sure did! OK, let's go!"

"So, this room is the Hall of Fame! Your name and your Pokémon's names will be recorded here so these important things will never be forgotten: That you are an excellent and kind Trainer! That you are considerate toward your Pokémon, and you give them your whole heart! And that your wonderful Pokémon believe in their Trainer with all their hearts, and together you have a strength that knows no bounds!"

"Hey, c'mon! Oh, excuse me... <player>! To the Trainer standing before me! And to the Pokémon at your side! Your beautiful bond has grown strong through battle! In order to make this bond an eternal treasure, your names shall be recorded here!"

Hall of Fame (rematch)

"You've made it here again! Your name and your Pokémon's names will be recorded here so these important things will never be forgotten: That you are an excellent and kind Trainer! That you are considerate toward your Pokémon, and you give them your whole heart! And that your wonderful Pokémon believe in their Trainer with all their hearts, and together you have a strength that knows no bounds!"

"Hey, c'mon! Oh, excuse me... <player>! To the Trainer standing before me! And to the Pokémon at your side! Your beautiful bond has grown strong through battle! In order to make this bond an eternal treasure, your names shall be recorded here!"

"I'm so glad I came to Unova! There are many different people and so many different Pokémon! And you know what... In the Village of Dragons, people take living alongside Pokémon for granted. I was surprised some people in Unova didn't think that way!"

"Alder was really, really strong! And even when I felt a bit weak, he encouraged us! He said that even when their backs are against the wall, my Pokémon have an intense look in their eyes. So, that's why I won, but I feel like I still have a lot to learn."

"Are these new clothes? OK, I'll change into them right now!"

"Wooow! It's such a flowing dress!"

"But you were fine, right? I can tell! Your Haxorus loves you very much!"

"I've already decided! I know what kind of Champion I will be! There's a myth in Sinnoh that says that the reason why Pokémon jump out is because they want to thank people. I'm sure that we and Pokémon have helped each other and enriched the world since ancient times. These memories have been engraved in each Pokémon's heart! So, I want Pokémon and people to get closer and closer! As the Champion, I want to tell that to everybody!"

National Gymquirer

Jingle: "Woo hoo! All right! It's 'The National Gymquirer'!"

Page: "That's right! We collect the hottest gossip about Gym Leaders seen around town! Here is today's letter. From someone going by the name Madame Scale. Thank yooou! 'I'm from Opelucid City, and I just went home for the first time in a long time. I saw Drayden and Iris counting up a big handful of coins! Isn't that setting a bad example for kids, flaunting your wealth like that?' Hmmm... That's living the high life! But you know, the Opelucid Gym Badge is shiny like a coin... Maybe you saw wrong? 'The National Gymquirer'! We eagerly await your letters!"

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Iris in Pokémon Adventures

In this series, Iris is not the Gym Leader of the Opelucid Gym, but is simply the apprentice of Drayden. She originally lived in Blackthorn City, also known as the Village of Dragons, where she trained to become a master of Dragon-types. Much to Iris's chagrin, the Master of the Dragon Tamer clan had Drayden come to take her to Unova so that he could tutor her. After arriving in Unova, Drayden introduced Iris to Alder, who would also become her teacher and taught her about spirituality.

Iris debuted in Big City Battles. She was first seen informing Burgh that Black had arrived to challenge his Gym. After accidentally insulting his newest art piece, Iris cheered Burgh up by complimenting the smell of honey on his body. Later, Iris took an unconscious Bianca to the Castelia Gym, where she revealed the girl was attacked and had her Pokémon stolen. With Black's detective abilities, the group found the thieves were Team Plasma and managed to retrieve all of the Pokémon they had stolen.

In Decisions, Decisions, Iris reunited with Black during his training with Brycen. There, she revealed that she was training with Drayden to become a Dragon-type expert. Black found it hard to believe her claims, annoying Iris into requesting a battle with Drayden, only to be easily swatted away and defeated. Later, Drayden left to do his own business and told Iris to stay with Black for the duration of his training in hopes that she would learn from it as well. After Black finished his training and Gym battle with Brycen, Iris reluctantly informed him that the Pokémon League's opening date had been pushed up from three months to a week.

The stress of potentially failing to enter in the League caused Black to panic and run away with Iris following after him. In The Lesson Ends Here, Iris and Black found Alder in battle with N on Route 6. Despite Alder's strength, he was eventually defeated.

In Hallway Hijinks, Iris competed in the Unova Pokémon League, eventually making it to the Top 8. To Black's surprise, Iris had already obtained all eight Gym Badges before their encounter during Black's training with Brycen. In The Tournament Continues, Iris faced Gray in the quarterfinals. Despite the type advantage his Cryogonal had, Iris's Fraxure managed to defeat it with a powerful Rock Smash, allowing Iris to advance to the next round. In One Way or Another, Iris faced Black in the semifinals. Though she was determined to defeat N and avenge Alder, Iris's newly-evolved Haxorus was defeated by Black's Costa, eliminating her from the tournament. Black assured Iris that he shared her goal and promised to take down N and Team Plasma.

In Cold Hard Truth, Team Plasma launched their attack on the Pokémon League by summoning N's Castle from the depths of the earth. The castle surrounded the League building while several Team Plasma Grunts came out and cornered everyone. Iris and Drayden worked together to protect innocent bystanders from the Grunts. After Team Plasma was defeated, Iris and the others watched as N and Zekrom flew off to parts unknown.

In Mr. Perfect, Drayden revealed that he made Iris Gym Leader of the Opelucid Gym so he could focus on dealing with Team Plasma's resurgence.

In PS545, Iris, Alder, and Gorm worked together to break out of the White Treehollow, which had been frozen solid by the Plasma Frigate, in the process revealing that Iris had succeeded Alder as the Champion of Unova. In PS546, Iris and Gorm met Black, White, Blake, and Whitley at the Giant Chasm. She revealed that during the past two years, she had regathered the eight Badges, challenged the Elite Four, and trained with Alder, N, Gorm, and Benga at the White Treehollow. She had managed to defeat both Alder and N, proving herself worthy of becoming the new Champion. Hearing this, Black swore to defeat Iris one day. The group was then attacked by Colress, who told Kyurem to freeze the surrounding area. When Kyurem stopped listening to Colress, Rood appeared, revealing his allies used a machine to disrupt the Colress Machine's effect. With Team Plasma's influence on it severed, Kyurem began rampaging, first releasing the Dark Stone before absorbing Reshiram to become White Kyurem. While Iris, Black, and White fought Kyurem, Blake chased after Colress while Whitley went to the Plasma Frigate to rescue N, who was held captive aboard the vessel.

In PS548, an explosion tore the Plasma Frigate apart, setting it ablaze and causing it to crash. After preventing a large amount of liberated Pokémon from plummeting towards the ground, Kyurem separated itself from Reshiram before leaving. Iris, Black, and White then rode on Reshiram's back to stop the ship from falling.

Pokémon

Fraxure → Haxorus

Haxorus is Iris's first known Pokémon that she owned as a Fraxure. Iris uses it as transportation by riding on its back. At the Tubeline Bridge, it faced Drayden's Druddigon in battle, but was easily defeated. In the Pokémon League, it fought against Gray's Cryogonal and won. In the next round, Fraxure was used against Black's Brav, where it evolved into a Haxorus. Eventually, it was defeated by a super effective Ice Beam from Black's Costa.

Druddigon is Iris's second known Pokémon. Iris used it to battle against Black's Tula in the Pokémon League, but later switched it out with her Haxorus. Later, it was used to battle Team Plasma as they attacked the League.

Iris is the only Unova Gym Leader who does not have a secondary occupation.

In the Pokémon White canon, Iris and Wallace have many similarities: both were trained by Gym Leaders, were the eighth Gym Leader in their respective regions, and later became the Champion, at which point their mentors took their places in their Gyms.

However, this is not the case in the Pokémon Black canon, because unlike Juan, Drayden was always the Leader of Opelucid Gym in Black, and Iris never was.

Also, in the Pokémon White canon, Iris's transition from being the eighth Gym Leader to becoming the Champion is the opposite of Blue's transition from being the Champion in Generation I and its remakes to becoming the eighth Gym Leader in Generation II and its remakes.

Iris considers Drayden to be her grandfather despite the two of them not being biologically related, affectionately referring to him as "Grandpa."